Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 23 - E-Rank Dungeon – Earth Elf's Tomb (4)

Chapter 23 – E-Rank Dungeon – Earth Elf’s Tomb (4)

 

Thud. Thud.

The statue began walking, each heavy step shaking the ground as it advanced toward us.

Fidgeting nervously with her dagger in hand, Marlin looked up… and her eyes widened.

Pitch-black lightning was oozing down from the ceiling.

—I have given you more than enough chances to retreat, insignificant creatures.

Along with the ominous voice echoing through the air, the black lightning gathered above the statue’s right shoulder, taking the shape of a bird.

It was an eagle.

The bird that symbolized Su’eje.

Crackle!

As the mark on my collarbone pulsed with increasing intensity, the eagle proudly lifted its head and declared,

—I shall offer you all to Su’eje!

 

[Corrupted Statue of Meterd (? Level)]

[The guardian of this sacred ground, tainted by the foul power of Su’eje. Much of its original strength has been lost over time, but it is by no means an opponent to underestimate. Its appearance in an E-Rank dungeon is abnormal for something this powerful. Sacrifice your companions and seize strength!]

 

Crack!

Bolts of lightning burst in every direction, grazing the bodies of my companions and me.

The electricity that swept over us flowed back into the eagle, causing its body to swell larger and larger.

The aura surrounding the statue also continued growing denser and more overwhelming.

“…Kar… Can we actually beat that?”

I considered my answer for a moment before shaking my head.

“If we fight it head-on, we can’t win. It grows stronger in proportion to the combined level of all our souls.”

“…What?”

Its size. Its weight. Its sheer oppressive presence. In every aspect, the monster completely overwhelmed us.

For explorers who hadn’t even earned the bronze badge, the lowest explorer rank, it was absurdly powerful.

‘That’s why people normally never activate the Hidden Piece all the way.’

Expeditions capable of defeating something like this were busy challenging higher-ranked dungeons.

Meanwhile, explorers who spent their time in E-Rank dungeons found it far too dangerous, so almost nobody attempted it.

At this point in time, nobody should have successfully cleared it at maximum difficulty.

Crackle.

Through the mark, Su’eje sent me emotions overflowing with interest.

“This isn’t the time to be enjoying yourself.”

“Your cultist might very well lose his life here.”

 

[It’s true that monster is impossible for someone of your current level to defeat… but you’ll figure something out as usual, won’t you? Figure it out yourself. The Wise One also seems rather indifferent.]

 

Apparently, they had all developed a dangerous lack of concern for safety.

No wonder both of them had so few followers.

“…”

Rosalia silently watched the approaching statue before extending an arm and pushing me behind her.

“Danger.”

The assassin who loved silence… Actually spoke.

Considering she normally refused to speak unless it was an emergency, it meant she truly regarded the eagle-controlled statue as a dangerous opponent.

“…Kar.”

Marlin gripped her dagger tightly, her tail standing straight upright.

—Begone!

The corrupted statue continued advancing toward us.

Objectively speaking, it was slow.

But considering its massive size, it was actually incredibly agile.

“How are we supposed to deal with that…?”

“Don’t panic. Would I really drag a child like you into certain death?”

If someone had to die, I’d rather it be me.

I had no intention of making a child experience the terror of death…Though a little hardship should be fine.

“We can defeat it. Dungeons may create absurdly unfair situations, but they never present trials explorers absolutely cannot overcome.”

“…Then what do we do?”

“First, distract it. Just keep circling around it.”

“Okay!”

Marlin sprinted forward, darting back and forth to draw its attention.

Whether intentionally or not, it was excellent taunting.

—I am the Guardian of Violent Thunder!

BOOM!

A gigantic fist smashed into the ground.

Marlin dodged nimbly before wagging her tail again to keep its attention.

She was doing much better than I’d expected.

“Sis. I have something for you to do as well.”

I gave Rosalia, who was silently staring at the statue, her assignment.

“Please carry me.”

“…”

Rosalia turned to look at me.

Both her eyes had narrowed slightly.

“I know, I know. You’re saying, ‘Don’t talk nonsense.’ Such harsh words…”

“…”

“Just trust me and give me a piggyback ride. Unless you’d rather see our Marlin flattened into jerky.”

The silent assassin looked back toward the front.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Marlin’s speed had noticeably slowed compared to before.

At this rate, she really would be in danger.

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Rosalia let out a tiny sigh before bending her back slightly.

“Thank you, Sis.”

Before she could change her mind, I immediately climbed onto her back.

Since she was taller than me, my feet didn’t touch the ground.

It was surprisingly comfortable.

“Now, please take me up to that statue’s head. You can do it, right?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer.

Nor did I need one.

Tap!

Rosalia sprinted toward one of the protruding pillars.

She leaped high into the air, kicked off the wall… and jumped once more.

[Powerful Leap].

Though merely a First-Tier Mystery, one used by a Level 5 assassin was on an entirely different level compared to one used by a low-level explorer.

“You’re the best, Sis.”

She landed atop the statue’s head in a single bound.

“Now, please move Marlin somewhere safe. Then focus your attacks on the statue’s ankles.”

Rosalia gave a small nod before jumping back down.

Now… It was my turn.

‘You can’t beat it head-on?’

In a dungeon, that simply meant…

There was a specific weakness to exploit.

—How dare a mongrel!

The black lightning eagle shouted abuse at me.

Ignoring it completely, I reached out toward it.

Crackle!

Lightning scorched my entire body.

Yet I wouldn’t end up as crispy cultist barbecue.

“That stings.”

When I’d performed human sacrifice before, Su’eje’s temporary descent had felt like the God of Death casually throwing an arm around my shoulders.

Compared to that… This lightning was nothing more than static electricity.

Keeping my mouth tightly shut, I activated my Mystery.

‘Stay calm.’

The basic Mystery granted to every cultist of the Filthy Sky:

[Black Lightning Bloom].

It was a growth-type Mystery.

At the moment, it remained only First Tier.

Yet under specific conditions, it could produce effects beyond its tier.

I began moving the lightning.

—Stop, mongrel!

Flapping its wings wildly, the eagle unleashed torrents of lightning toward me.

I ignored it.

And continued concentrating.

“…Hah… haa…”

An involuntary laugh escaped my lips.

Blood streamed from my nose.

My entire body had gone numb.

The violently shaking statue made it increasingly difficult to maintain my footing.

Still… Even if I fell, the worst that would happen is becoming permanently crippled.

With a calm mind, I continued controlling the lightning.

Crackle!

Eventually… The eagle’s movements began slowing.

Despite being made entirely of lightning… I could clearly read the emotion on its face.

Fear.

—Impossible!

Perhaps realizing it couldn’t knock me off… It instead tried moving the statue to crush the other two.

I’d anticipated that.

That was precisely why I’d given Silent Big Sister Assassin one more instruction.

BOOM!

Rosalia appeared in an instant.

Her flying kick struck the statue’s left ankle.

That wasn’t a Mystery.

Nor was it any assassin technique.

It was merely a simple kick.

Yet it produced power surpassing most Mysteries, causing the enormous statue to stagger violently.

While the eagle’s attention shifted toward Rosalia… I continued operating [Black Lightning Bloom], taking control of the black lightning.

Crack!

Resonating with the raging lightning… The mark on my collarbone burst with crackling sparks.

I could feel it vividly.

Su’eje’s excitement as they watched what I was doing.

Then… Lightning of an entirely different caliber surged throughout my body.

No… It was beyond even that.

CRACKLE!

I… Had become lightning.

 

[Well… congratulations. Your proficiency with the growth-type trash Mystery, [Black Lightning Bloom], has increased dramatically, advancing it to Second Tier.]

 

The effect of Second-Tier [Black Lightning Bloom].

It no longer merely controlled lightning.

It transformed my body into lightning itself.

—This cannot be!

The panicked eagle struggled desperately before commanding the statue to smash its own head.

A desperate move bordering on self-destruction.

BOOM!

Half the statue’s head exploded apart.

I momentarily transformed into lightning, allowing the attack to pass through me.

At the same time, I activated [Ghoul’s Mobility].

My Agility instantly skyrocketed…

Then, through the interaction between the Fertilizer Sprout curse that lowered Agility and [Rolling Thunderclouds], my Vitality surged dramatically.

“That one… Actually hurt a little.”

Thanks to my increased Vitality…

The damage to both body and mind recovered almost instantly.

“Now then. Wouldn’t you kindly surrender to your junior?”

Smiling, I wrapped both arms around the eagle.

“Let’s go together. Sir Ermentaz.”

“…!”

The black lightning eagle.

The final guardian left behind to watch over the Earth Elves’ temple after every one of its sane kin had disappeared.

Ermentaz’s eyes widened in horror as he opened his beak.

—How dare you! You mongrel!

Sharp talons seized my face… Slowly tearing into it.

One final struggle.

I only needed to endure this.

My mental strength was nearly exhausted.

My head felt as though it were splitting apart.

Still… I could use one more Mystery.

“It’s time you gave up.”

Transforming both arms into lightning… I began absorbing the electricity.

Control had already almost completely shifted to me.

Unable to return to his original form… Ermentaz was slowly drawn into my body.

An overwhelming victory impossible through my own strength alone.

A wonderfully stylish strategy, possible only through the weakest possible combination:

A half-elf and a cultist.

It was a miracle made possible only because the Supreme Being had indirectly aided me through the countless currents of electricity permeating this dungeon.

Without Su’eje’s favor… None of this would have been possible.

—No! O violent thunderclouds, please save me!

Crack!

A certain emotion flowed through the mark on my collarbone.

It was impossible to fully express their will in the pitiful language of lesser intelligent beings.

But if I absolutely had to reduce it to words… Would it be ‘Save you? Why would I?’

—KRAAAAAH!

Rejected first by the Nature God… Then abandoned by Su’eje as well… The Earth Elf was absorbed into my body as pure lightning.

With its controller gone… The statue of the Nature God finally ceased moving.

My body and mind were utterly exhausted.

Unable to remain conscious… I lost my balance and fell.

“Siiiiis!”

Rosalia activated [Powerful Leap] once more.

She leaped upward, caught me… and landed gracefully on the ground.

No amount of words could express how I felt.

So instead… I simply gave her a thumbs-up.

“…”

Rosalia stared silently at my hand for a moment.

Then… Carefully… She raised her own thumb.

Rumble…

The ground where the statue had stood rose upward, forming an enormous altar.

At its center… A crimson Gate shimmered into existence.

“So.”

“What did you think of my dungeon raid?”

Naturally… No verbal reply came. 

But after exploring the dungeon together… 

I could now interpret the meaning behind her silent expression almost perfectly.

‘Not bad.’

“That’s what you mean, right? I agree.”

E-Rank Dungeon.

Earth Elf’s Tomb.

Though I ended up nicely roasted… The dungeon had been successfully conquered, nonetheless.

“Kaaaar!”

Marlin, whom Rosalia had carried to safety earlier, came running over with a bright smile.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! I really thought the lightning was going to roast you alive!”

“I’ve said it before. I don’t die in E-Rank dungeons.”

“If I’m going to give my life… It’ll be in an S-Rank one.”

I pressed down on Marlin’s head.

Even amidst all that chaos, she’d somehow managed to protect the hat I’d bought for her.

“Now then. Shall we go collect our enormous rewards?”

The highest-difficulty rewards… Already waiting for us… Filled me with anticipation.